Latest news with #Altman
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
What is common between Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai? Both of them went to...
One built a chatbot that sounds eerily human. The other turned a web browser into a global tech empire. One dropped out of college. The other stacked degrees like power-ups in a calculated climb to the top. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now And yet, both and ended up in the same place: the summit of the tech world. So what do the CEO of and the CEO of and Alphabet actually have in common? Well, somewhere between the lines of AI ethics, world tours, Chrome tabs, and viral ChatGPT prompts, there's a quiet little academic overlap. That's right — both Altman and spent time at Stanford University, the Hogwarts of Silicon Valley, where tech dreams are brewed with equal parts code and caffeine. But don't let the shared zip code fool you: their paths couldn't be more different. One chose rebellion (read: dropped out). The other chose refinement (read: Stanford and Wharton). One bet on startup chaos. The other steered a tech empire with calm precision. Yet here they are, running the digital universe from opposite ends of the AI spectrum. Let's rewind the tape and meet the men behind the algorithms. Sam Altman: Dropped out, then reprogrammed the future Before he was crisscrossing the globe as the face of OpenAI, Sam Altman was just a kid obsessed with computers and curious about how the world worked. Fast forward a few decades, and he's one of the most influential figures shaping the future of artificial intelligence. From dropping out of Stanford to launching billion-dollar ventures, Altman's career has been anything but traditional — but every move has been calculated, ambitious, and unmistakably bold. Hacking before it was cool Born in 1985 in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, Sam Altman's tech journey began with an Apple Macintosh and a screwdriver. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At age 8, while most kids were figuring out Mario Kart, Altman was busy pulling apart computers and learning how to code. That early obsession would become the blueprint for a future in high-stakes innovation. Stanford: Brief but pivotal Altman attended John Burroughs School, an elite private school in Missouri, before heading to Stanford University to study computer science. But Stanford couldn't hold him for long. After just two years, he dropped out at age 19 to co-found Loopt, a location-based social networking app. The startup didn't exactly change the world, but it raised over $30 million in funding and sold for $43 million — not bad for a college dropout. The Y combinator era In 2011, Altman joined Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's premier startup accelerator, as a part-time partner. By 2014, he was its president, guiding the next generation of tech disruptors. Under his leadership, YC backed some of today's biggest names, including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe, and expanded its vision to support 'hard tech' innovations like energy and biotech. The OpenAI revolution begins In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI with a mission to develop artificial intelligence that would benefit all of humanity. That mission eventually led to the creation of ChatGPT, a chatbot so sophisticated it's now writing essays, poems, speeches — and sometimes even startup pitches. OpenAI has since become a household name in the AI arms race. Crypto experiment with Worldcoin Just when you thought it couldn't get weirder, Altman helped launch Worldcoin, a bold — and controversial — project that scans people's irises to verify identity in exchange for cryptocurrency. The aim? A form of universal basic income and digital authentication. The reality? Global privacy debates and biometric skepticism. Though he never finished at Stanford, Altman doesn't need a diploma to validate his impact. The campus may not have handed him a cap and gown, but it did give him what he needed most: a launchpad to become one of tech's most influential minds. Sundar Pichai: The strategist who engineered Google's future Before he was leading one of the most powerful companies in the world, Sundar Pichai was just a kid in Chennai with a steel-trap memory and a fascination for numbers. While his classmates were scribbling notes, he could recall phone numbers with eerie precision — a nerdy talent that would someday power a career built on information, access, and innovation. Humble beginnings in Chennai Born in 1972 in Madurai, India, Pichai grew up in a middle-class Tamil household in Chennai. His father worked as an electrical engineer, while his mother was a stenographer. The family didn't own a telephone until Sundar was 12, but when they did, he was the one who memorized every number dialed — unknowingly foreshadowing his future in data-driven tech. From Metallurgy to Management Pichai's academic path was a globe-spanning masterclass in intellectual rigor: IIT Kharagpur: He earned a in Metallurgical Engineering, one of India's toughest disciplines at one of its most prestigious institutions. He earned a in Metallurgical Engineering, one of India's toughest disciplines at one of its most prestigious institutions. Stanford University: There, he pursued a Master's in Materials Science and Engineering, walking the same halls that Sam Altman would later briefly attend. There, he pursued a Master's in Materials Science and Engineering, walking the same halls that Sam Altman would later briefly attend. Wharton School of Business: He rounded off his education with an MBA, graduating as both a Siebel Scholar and Palmer Scholar, elite honors awarded to top-performing students. The browser that changed everything Pichai joined Google in 2004, and instead of diving straight into Search or Android, he focused on something overlooked at the time — the web browser. Leading the development of Google Chrome, he helped turn it into the fastest, most user-friendly gateway to the internet. Chrome's success became his calling card. From there, his rise was swift and strategic. He eventually took charge of: Gmail Google Maps Android ChromeOS He also became the go-to tech executive for major product launches and keynote moments. CEO of Google, then Alphabet In 2015, Pichai was named CEO of Google, a quiet but powerful promotion that signaled deep trust from the company's founders. By 2019, he was promoted again — this time to CEO of Alphabet, Google's parent company, overseeing one of the largest and most influential corporate ecosystems on the planet. The calm eye in tech's storm Unlike many Silicon Valley leaders, Pichai isn't known for big swings or fiery speeches. Instead, he brings a calm, thoughtful presence to the chaos — quietly managing billion-dollar products, fielding tough questions from governments, and navigating crises with an engineer's logic. While Sam Altman is busy pitching AGI and Worldcoin, Pichai is managing global platforms, writing ethical AI policies, and trying to keep the internet running (and responsible) for billions. Same campus, different missions So yes, they both went to Stanford. But while Altman saw it as a springboard out, Pichai treated it as a rung up. Altman's journey is a Silicon Valley fever dream — all risk, ambition, and moonshots. Pichai's path is more like a perfectly structured algorithm — optimized, calculated, and globally scalable. Altman is the experimental artist; Pichai, the master engineer. Together, they represent two sides of tech's future: Altman is building the tools to think for us. Pichai is managing the systems that know everything about us. The dropout and the scholar who rewired the world It turns out, there's no single path to becoming a tech icon. You can drop out or graduate with honors, scan eyeballs or launch browsers — as long as you think big, build bold, and maybe, just maybe, spend a little time in Palo Alto. Because whether you're asking ChatGPT to draft your essay or searching Google for how to cook quinoa, you're standing on the shoulders of two Stanford-touched minds who couldn't be more different — and more alike.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
OpenAI employee set to join Meta calls the ‘$100 million signing bonus' fake news
In the last few months, Meta has been poaching AI researchers left and right to its superintelligence lab by paying them hefty 'signing bonuses', which some say amount to $100 million. However, this might not be the case. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lucas Beyer, who is currently working at OpenAI and will soon join Meta, says that the $100 million sign-up bonus is 'fake news.' Beyer also confirmed that he will be joined by Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai, who are currently working at OpenAI. Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta was trying to poach AI researchers from his company by offering them bonuses of $100 million. In a podcast hosted by OpenAI, Altman claimed that 'Meta started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team' and that 'at least, so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.' According to a report by The Verge, when Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth was asked about the '$100 million signing bonuses', he said, 'Sam is just being dishonest here. He's suggesting that we're doing this for every single person…Look, you guys, the market's hot. It's not that hot.' Bosworth added that Altman is trying to counter all these offers and that it 'is not the general thing that's happening in the AI space.' The Meta CEO went on to say that there are a couple of more people joining the company, but declined to share details. However, Bosworth wasn't the only Meta executive to mention OpenAI at the internal meeting. CPO Chris Cox said that instead of building a ChatGPT-like AI chatbot that helps people with things like writing work emails, Meta wants to differentiate its AI offerings by focusing 'on entertainment, on connection with friends, on how people live their lives.' Compared to Google and OpenAI, Meta is finding it hard to compete in the AI race. However, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company recently built its superintelligence team and is on a hiring spree. Recently, Meta purchased a 49 per cent stake in Scale AI and hired its 28 year old CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its newly formed team.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Sam Altman says AI now needs new hardware: Here's what it means for the future of learning
Sam Altman says AI now needs new hardware: How will the future of learning be affected by this? In a recent revelation that marks a major turning point in the AI conversation, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has declared that today's computers are no longer ideal for the kind of artificial intelligence we need going forward. While much of the world is still racing to keep up with ChatGPT and similar software tools, Altman is already thinking beyond screens, apps, and cloud servers. He envisions a 'third device'—something entirely new—that's built from the ground up for AI. What makes this shift especially significant is that it isn't just about improving technology—it's about reimagining the way we interact with machines. These next-gen AI devices, Altman believes, will be deeply integrated into our daily lives, capable of understanding context, emotions, and personal preferences. And nowhere might this transformation be more profound than in education. How students could learn with AI-first devices If Altman's vision materializes, the traditional classroom could soon look and feel very different. Instead of learning through shared tablets or static digital lessons, students might have personal AI companions: wearable or portable devices that track their attention, understand their learning patterns, and offer real-time feedback. These AI-native tools would go beyond what current edtech platforms can do. They wouldn't just deliver content; they'd interpret emotional cues, detect confusion or boredom, and adapt instruction on the spot. One student might need a visual breakdown of a math problem, while another might benefit from a short quiz or verbal explanation; and the AI would know the difference without being prompted. For teachers, this opens up entirely new possibilities. With a classroom full of AI-assisted learners, educators could get data-driven insights into how students are progressing and where they're struggling, allowing them to focus more on mentorship, creativity, and human connection. What's promising about this vision At the core of this evolution is the idea of personalization: something that's long been considered the holy grail of education. AI-powered hardware could finally make it possible to tailor learning to each student's pace, style, and needs. Altman also touched on an important idea: trust. People tend to trust AI more when it truly knows them—when it feels like an extension of their thought process. For students, this could foster a sense of comfort and confidence, especially for those who may be shy to speak up in class or who require repeated reinforcement to grasp a concept. In this ideal version of the future, AI doesn't replace teachers: it amplifies them. It reduces the pressure of one-size-fits-all education and opens up more space for meaningful learning experiences. The concerns we can't ignore Still, Altman's bold vision brings with it a wave of tough questions, particularly around equity and privacy. Who will have access to these AI-native devices? If they become central to education, how do we ensure they don't widen the digital divide? There's also the matter of student data. For AI to become hyper-personalized, it needs deep and constant input. How will schools protect sensitive information like learning difficulties, emotional patterns, and behavioral cues? Educator readiness is another hurdle. Many teachers are only just becoming comfortable with AI-enhanced grading tools or lesson planning software. Managing a classroom filled with real-time, adaptive AI hardware will require entirely new training, as well as a shift in mindset—from being the central information source to acting more like a learning strategist or AI collaborator. Will schools be ready for the next leap? Altman's prediction isn't just about technology—it's a cultural and institutional challenge. If this shift happens, schools and colleges will need to rethink how they fund infrastructure, train staff, design classrooms, and even define success. It also raises an important philosophical question: should AI know students this deeply? The potential for insight is immense—but so is the responsibility. A future that's closer than it seems As futuristic as Altman's ideas sound, they're not far-fetched. The pace of AI development over the past two years has outstripped many expert predictions. What was once speculative—like generative AI writing essays or passing standardized exams—is now routine. If AI-native hardware becomes real in the next few years, education may become one of the first sectors to feel its impact. The question is: will we be ready? Sam Altman has thrown down a bold marker for where AI is headed. Whether classrooms will follow, or lead, remains to be seen. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Credit - Florian Generotzky—laif/Redux A year is a long time in the AI industry. In the last 12 months, OpenAI released not one but three generations of 'reasoning' models (which take time to analyze problems rather than giving an immediate answer) kicking off a new paradigm in AI research that many competitors raced to follow. The company—now one of the most valuable private companies in the world, with a $300 billion valuation—also launched its video-generation model, Sora, and integrated image generation into ChatGPT, sparking a viral social media trend. CEO Sam Altman, meanwhile, appeared at the White House in January as President Trump announced a $500 billion program to build the datacenters where OpenAI believes it will train 'superintelligence.' Perhaps sensing where the political winds were blowing, OpenAI relaxed restrictions on ChatGPT-generated images and responses, announcing it would allow more outputs that might be considered offensive. Altman has spent much of the year engaged in a controversial battle to restructure OpenAI as a for-profit company, and seeking to reduce its reliance on Microsoft, its main cloud computing provider. Amidst rapid technical change and the shifting tectonics of politics, Altman never dropped his relentlessly optimistic message. 'The fact that we're offering, great, aligned, safe, free, powerful AI to hundreds of millions of people every day, I think that's pretty cool,' he recently told TIME. Write to Billy Perrigo at
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Meta exec calls OpenAI's Sam Altman ‘dishonest' over claims of ‘$100M signing bonuses' to poach AI talent
A top Meta executive called OpenAI's Sam Altman 'dishonest' for claiming that Mark Zuckerberg was offering $100 million pay packages to poach the startup's top AI researchers. 'Sam is just being dishonest here,' Andrew Bosworth, Meta's chief technology officer, said during a companywide all-hands meeting on Thursday, according to The Verge. 'He's suggesting that we're doing this for every single person… Look, you guys, the market's hot. It's not that hot.' Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is locked in a heated competition with the ChatGPT maker to develop advanced artificial intelligence. Recent moves by Zuckerberg include creating a new AI lab focused on achieving 'superintelligence' and investing $14.3 billion in Scale AI. Altman stirred the pot further last week when he said Meta had 'started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team' during an appearance on the 'Uncapped' podcast. 'You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that (in) compensation per year,' Altman said at the time. He added that 'so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.' 3 Sam Altman claimed Meta was offering $100M signing bonuses to lure OpenAI researchers. Getty Images However, in the week since Altman's remarks surfaced, a handful of OpenAI researchers have jumped ship to join Meta. Among them was Lucas Beyer, who confirmed in an X post that he and colleagues Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai were lured away by Zuckerberg. However, Byers noted that the trio 'did not get 100M sign-on, that's fake news.' 3 Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth called Sam Altman 'dishonest.' REUTERS Key OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal – a main contributor to OpenAI's first-ever AI reasoning model o1 – has also switched teams, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. In Thursday's all-hands meeting, Bosworth told Meta's employees that Altman's claims were missing key context. 'What Sam neglects to mention is that he's countering all these offers, creating a small market for a very, very small number of people who are for senior, senior leadership roles,' Bosworth said. 3 Mark Zuckerberg is pouring billions into the AI race. AP 'Sam is known to exaggerate, and in this case, I know exactly why he's doing it, which is because we are succeeding at getting talent from OpenAI,' he added. 'He's not very happy about that.' OpenAI did not immediately return a request for comment on Bosworth's remarks.
